“The school boards are the key that picks the lock,” said former Trump advisor Steve Bannon in August of last year. Bannon, along with other vocal conservatives, has been avidly pushing for takeovers of local political institutions such as school boards—and they’re winning. The recall failure trend ended on February 15th, 2022, when San Francisco […]
Tag: campaign finance
How to Make Recall Elections Fair
Welp. That was over quickly. Within an hour of the polls closing at 8 PM PT on September 14, the recall race was already called for Governor Newsom. Governor Gavin Newsom’s victory was basically the same as his 2018 landslide (both 61.9%). The recall race has been estimated by Sonoma State University Professor David McCuan […]
Campaign Finance as it Relates to Progressivism
As the 2020 presidential election draws closer and closer, the field of Democratic candidates is slowly winnowing. Gone are the likes of former Governor John Hickenlooper and Representative Eric Swalwell as they failed to gain traction in a crowded race. But there are two candidates that are likely to stick around for quite some time. […]
Campaign Finance Remains Biggest Obstacle to Change— Why America Must Rid Itself of Money in Politics
Amidst the flurry of controversy and dissension of the recent Trump-Ukraine scandal came the news that NRA chief Wayne LaPierre offered to bankroll Trump in exchange for Trump halting any attempts to pass gun control reform. This report of a supposed direct quid pro quo for Trump’s legislative inaction came and went, lost in the […]
Pollution, Plastic, and Profit: California’s Conflicting Propositions
In California, a high-profile war for the future of plastic bags is underway; however, underneath the surface lies a much more sinister battle between private interests, with both sides having significant financial stakes in the situation. Just over two years ago, California became the first state in the nation to pass legislation (SB 270) banning […]
Muted By Money
The Citizens United Supreme Court case has not only revolutionized campaign finance but has also solidified the immutable power of corporate companies. The Court ultimately decided that corporations are composed of “associations of citizens” and that protecting corporate speech was a way to “protect the rights of those citizens.” The ruling ended the ban on corporate and union […]